Six word memoirs

A friend gave me the Best American Nonrequired Reading 2007 for Christmas. The first section of the anthology has short pieces and lists. One is the six word memoir, adapted from a challenge to Papa to write a story in 6 words. The memoir adaptation was started in SMITH magazine.
I thought it would be fun to try to write one--I'll post it in a few days. Think of one and post it in the comments...I'll pull them out and add them to the post.

The Supermarkets of Cincinnati

My mom thought it would be fun to visit this world market/gourmet food store called Jungle Jim's. I had heard of it but never been. All I knew was that the beer selection was supposed to be pretty good. Turns out that Jungle Jim is this crazy entrepreneur who buys all these great things to display in his store--huge animatronic displays, boats, pagodas. Great cheese, beer, produce and international food sections. My sister documented the trip with her iphone. It was more fun than I've had in a supermarket in a while.
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Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!!
Nothing boosts our Christmas spirit like covering Wags in tree decorations~ He doesn't mind...any attention is good attention for him.

C*

30 years young!

I turned 30 this month, and I'm ok with that. In fact, I thought the best way to display my youthful exuberance was to drag a bunch of friend to 80s Dance night at Lola's room. It was awesome! I put on my dancing shoes (or leg-warmers, in this case), and danced the night away (well, until midnight when i turn into a pumpkin) to The Cure, Michael Jackson, and other rad hits. So glad people made it out to this !
Carley**

Davis Cup

Dave and his tennis pals scored tickets to the Davis Cup, which was in Portland this year, US vs Russia. Dave really enjoyed it, especially the first days events where James Blake, Andy Roddick, and other big name pros played. I'm posting this since Dave wasn't happy with the pictures, but I still think they are cool!
C*

Riding bikes through the forest is challenging and stimulating

Oakridge Mt Biking

Just got back from mountain biking in Gabe's hometown, Oakridge, OR. It was a ton of fun, and kicked my ass. I captioned the pictures in the album above, and will write more about it later.

The album picture comes from an area close to the trailhead for Moon Point (see map). We weren't able to find it, though. We were able to find and ride Larison Rock, Aubrey Mountain, and Flat Creek.

Thanks to Winnie and Flora for letting us bunk with them for the weekend.

Apples, Pears and Alpacas Oh My!

On Saturday Carley and drove to Hood River in search of goods, specifically apples & pears. We were able to procure those items, as well as some very good chardonnay. We also went to an alpaca farm to see the baby 'pacas. They were cute and soft. We had perfect weather--it was a nice day.




Carley and the alpaca farm dog Pete. He's a Great Pyrenees (links to disgusting puppy mills). He protects the alpacas from the coyotes.

Wearing things out

I've been wearing out bike parts lately--specifically, my rear tire and pedals. I put more than a 1000 miles on the rear tire before it lost its puncture resistant abilities. It's nice to wear things out that you only use for fun--a testament to having fun.

I bought new pedals because my old ones were ten years old and not releasing consistently. Upon closer inspection I saw that the oldies were thoroughly thrashed. I bought some new eggbeater-style pedals...Carley and I went on a short ride this afternoon, and so far I like these more than the SPD style...oh, right, I remember--no body cares about pedal comparisons.



Next weekend Gabe, Mike, Bryan, Aaron and I are heading down to Oakridge for some mountain biking...I am wicked excited. So excited. It's Gabe's old stomping ground, so he is going to show us around the trails. So excited.

Secret--Traveling Should be Interesting and not Soulsucking

I've always liked PostSecret. The idea is that people create postcards and send them in, and they are published on the internets. It has been around for several years now. I think many people use it as an art/micro fiction project. I don't care if they are truthful--it's the stories that are interesting.
Anyway, the person who started the site wrote a brief column in the NYT about the post cards he's received concerning travel and airports. I hadn't thought about the PostSecret site in awhile...

and in science news...

Today was a big science day in my world, and I heard it all on OPB coming in to work!

**The Nobel Prize for Medicine went to 3 independent researchers, Mario R. Capecchi, Martin J. Evans and Oliver Smithies, for their discoveries of "principles for introducing specific gene modifications in mice by the use of embryonic stem cells". Basically, they invented knockout-mice, which are used ubiquitously in research these days.

My link to this story? My old boss Scott came from Mario Capecchi's lab in Utah, where he made the mice that I worked on during grad school. So I'm the scientific grand-child to a Nobel Prize winner!

**In local news, my current boss Kent and his colleague just published an epidemiological study linking breast cancer and a women's hip size. OPB's Oregon Considered will air a story about it this afternoon at 4:30. These types of studies have a lot of impact, but they just begin to open up areas for in-depth research to figure out the mechanisms and biology behind it all. Guess I have some work to do~

C**

Isabella's birthday fiesta!

Isabella turned one this week! My mom and I had a great time at her birthday fiesta on Saturday. Crystal and her crew made hundreds of tamales (meat/chile ones and sweet ones, which I have never had), chili, horchata, and more - so good! We enjoyed watching the kids whack the huge, candy-filled pinata. Isabella is so cute and fun - she plays very well with all the kids at the party.
Happy birthday, Isabella!

Real men use tools that can maim if used incorrectly

This afternoon Mike and I got busy putting up walls in the basement. We bought some gear at Home Despot including this nailer that uses .22 cal shells to power the nail. Really awesome. If you have stuff that needs to be nailed to cement let me know and I will do it for you. The shell firing is quite satisfying.

Here are the before and after pics--the idea is to finish this corner of the basement and turn it into a computer nook. We got a good amount of work done. I've wanted to work on this for a while, and it was nice to get started.
Oh, and nobody was maimed.

A new keyboard instrument in the house

Carley had been thinking about taking piano lessons, so last weekend we rented a piano. It was delivered on Thursday and Carley has been plinking away on it. Today she found some music books and is going to start practicing.

I think it's funny that it's in the same place as the organ was. I like the piano more than the organ, though.

Labor day lunch

I visited with my grandmas and Mom at the Labor day lunch and my grandma's retirement center. It's always nice to see everyone and get the family updates and share what we've been up to. The "Grandmas" are doing well, and we had a lovely time~
C**

Wags and Jacey

Wags and Jacey love each other! Jacey is my parents' Golden Retriever, and Wags is always excited to go to his dog-grandparents house to visit his pal~

My parents kindly took care of Wags while we were in Denver, and we know Wags gets spoiled rotten, as any grand-dog-child should :)

Biking to work!

Inspired by Dave and the Bike Commute Challenge, I rode in to work today! Dave and I started out at ~7:15 this morning, met up with Tim at 57th and Handcock, and then I went my own route around Providence Hospital, through to the Hawthorne Bridge. I was never alone, as there are sooo many biker out in the city. At the bridge, there were 4 gals all waiting for the light - fun!
At OHSU's waterfront building, there are underground bike lockers, and I was able to clean up at the gym in my building. Then I enjoyed my much-deserved banana-chocolate chip muffin and coffee!!

My route:

View Larger Map

Aspen adventures

My fellow lab gals and I went to the Aspen Perinatal Biology symposium, and we managed to learn about wildlife biology beyond the conference setting.

We had several black bear encounters, starting with a personal encounter with a bear sniffing around the back door to our conference center on the first night. Then on the last day of our conference, a bear broke into the conference center in the early morning, helping himself to 3 lbs of cream cheese and a few packages of bagels and waffles. He needed a nap after that tasty meal, so he climbed the nearest tree and snoozed all day! As the conference adjourned, we all got a good look at another large bear that climbed down a tree for a few minutes, discovered there was nothing exciting except some amazed people, and then climbed back up a tree!

The conference center was right in Aspen, and apparently they are having bear troubles all over the valley.

To inspect the wildlife, we took a tour of the nearby Environmental studies area.

They have a resident Golden Eagle that has lived there since 1982! We were within 15 feet of her - so amazing!


We braved the Independence Pass road on our trip back to Denver, so we had to stop at the Continental Divide marker for some pictures. This was the scariest car trip i've driven or been on. While it was (mostly) safe, there were a few places where there were not even two lanes, just a wide area where you had to slowly make your way and hope on one came in the other direction. Ugh~

Pike's Peak

While in Denver, we took a ride on the Pike's Peak Cog Railway with Dave's Grandma and parents~

In some spots, the railway is climbing at a 25% angle! At these points, the front of the train is 3 stories above the back of the train.

Overlooking Denver, we can see all the way to Kansas!

Dave and Carley at the top of Pike's Peak

Sunflower

Sunflower seeds, anyone? I think the birds will enjoy this crop~

C*

Bridge Pedal

A few pictures of the 2007 Bridge Pedal from earlier this month. While the ride was packed with people, causing huge back-ups getting onto the Ross Island bridge, i think the event made up for it by getting to ride up and down the Marquam and Fremont bridges. Those were quite the rides down! I thought I was going to lose it and fall, but it was thrilling!!

C*


The line up to the Ross Island Bridge ~ bor-ing!















Picture from the top of Marquam Bridge~
















Fremont Bridge

Kirsten and Matt's wedding

For our final weekend event, we celebrated at Kirsten and Matt's wedding! It was at the beautiful Overlook House which sits on a ridge overlooking the Willamette River and Forest Park. Kirsten looked absolutely amazing, her hair and dress were so pretty, she just glowed! The wedding ceremony was short and sweet, and very personal as they recited their own vows. The ceremony was finalized with a blessing from the guests to the newly wed couple. Then it was time to relax and celebrate! The food was great, very fresh and summery spread, and the weather really cooperated as the sun was out just enough to keep the day bright but not too hot. Now Kirsten and Matt are off to Victoria for a much-deserved vacation. It was exciting be with them on their big day!
~C*

Hottest Day of the Year ride (not quite)

On Sunday, Dave and I rode our bike in the Hottest Day of the Year ride. The ride was in support of the Community Cycling Center, an organization that does a ton of bike education, outreach, and community activities, including giving away bikes and gear to kids in need and fixing up old bikes to donate or resell.

As the name suggests, the activities centered around warm weather, but the weather didn't quite cooperate! While it wasn't exactly bad weather, we were hit by light mist and overcast skies that morning. However, that is great biking weather, in my option! After the ride, there was a huge ice cream sundae bar, and a water fight. However, we ducked out after the ice cream, ready for down-time at home in lieu of getting wet.

The 15-mile route started and ended at the new Lucky Labrador brew house in NW Portland. We crossed the Broadway bridge, headed up Interstate to the Overlook neighborhood, through North Portland to the Community Cycling Center on ~17th and Alberta, and back to the Bridge via Vancouver Blvd. The ride felt great, a perfect length for me, and just enough hills to make you feel like you worked a bit, but mostly it was nice neighborhood cruising. I'm feeling more and more comfortable with street riding.

On Saturday morning, we rode to the Hollywood farmers market to pick up our weekly produce and to get breakfast. It's so nice to ride places, especially when we can combine it with errands and shopping. I'm glad we can ride together and that Dave knows the best routes. Very fun riding weekend!
~C*

High school friends

After having a surprisingly nice time at my 10-year reunion last year, I thought I'd try to live up to the usual statement of "let's get together soon!" by actually doing it! My original plan was to have a big party, but then I quickly narrowed the field to eliminate stress, focusing on inviting some friends I wanted to keep in contact with. Definitely want to do this again, inviting a few more couples next year in hope of staying in contact with local friends.

Therefore, a week ago, we had Crystal, Carlos, and baby Isabella, and Melina, Steve, and baby Paige over for dinner. We had a fun and relaxed time just hanging out and enjoying each other's company! Of course, having little ones around was very amusing and fun for us - very cute little girls!

It's great to be able to keep up with old friends, especially these two girls. I've known Crystal my whole life, and Melina and I have know each other through church activities starting when we were three! We have attended the same grade schools, and grew up living close to each other. It's fun to know their new families and to keep in touch!
~c*

just our cute dog

~ Cutie Wags ~

Silly dog! Sometime he just doesn't look comfortable!

It's been hot here in Portland, but Wags handles it ok by staying mellow inside. Here are a few cute pictures since he hasn't been featured on the blog in a while~

Hungry Planet

A few weeks ago, Dave and I had dinner with people from my lab, a going-away party for a co-worker. A visiting prof and his wife joined us, and we had interesting conversations with them during the meal. Mrs. Barker and I discussed food and culture, interests of ours. She and Dr. Barker's mission is to raise awareness of how important good nutrition is for women's health before and during pregnancy and how this affects the future health of their children. In our discussion, she told me about this book "Hungry Planet: What the World Eats," and I was excited to finally get it from the library this week.

Hungry Planet is a beautiful book of photos and essays compiled by a photojournalist. It depicts 30 families in 24 countries in pictures of them in their kitchens/cooking spaces with all of the food that they eat in a week. For each family, there is a break down of what they eat in cost and amount (ex. produce, milk product, meat, etc) and the total food expenditure for the week. For example, a large Peruvian family don't have access to meat or eggs, but they produce enough on their farm to feed 7 kids. A Cuba family supplements their govt rations with goodies from the grocery store. A Chinese family doesn't deny their son the McD's that he wants, even though the grandparents disapprove and have never veered from their traditional food of rice, produce, and meat.

The pictures in this book are amazing. They include pics of the family life, how they acquire their food, and how they live. This book is very informative and fascinating, while it doesn't go out of it's way bash our food choices. It just shows life as it is for people around the world.

Check it out if you are interested~ We might just have to buy this book.

Livewire, The Thermals

Most Fridays Carley and I are tired from a week's worth of activities and frivolity and don't feel like doing much. Usually we'll grab dinner at Chaba Thai and watch a movie or Tivo-fare. Last Friday Carley and I dragged ourselves out of the house to see Livewire. It's something we've talked about doing for some time but never found a convenient night when all of our stars have aligned. The show was great, very much a Portland-flavored Prairie Home Companion with a great house band, interviews with authors and creative-types, sketches, and a mix of ages and social castes (hipsters, parents and kids, freakfolk hippies, general public radio admirers). They tape a couple shows at a time so you get to see two musicial guests and two interviews. It was a lot of fun.

One of the musical guests was The Thermals. I'm happy to be able to finally jump on this bandwagon. Before Friday I had only heard them a couple times and hadn't formed an opinion. They played two songs from "The Body The Blood The Machine" a conceptish album about a dystopian Christian theocracy. (I would say that it is set in the future but I think that dystopian only applies to future-state scenarios. Otherwise it would be some historical fictive amalgam.) They were great live--so good that I bought the album. It is pretty grim, but rocking.

The show and Thermals performance were uplifting in a brain-filled-up-to-capacity, should-be-creating-art way. One more push to get off the couch and try new things, or practice old things that have been put aside.

Ohio Trip

We're back from Ohio where we had a great visit with Dave's parents and sis.
We started our trip with a fascinating trip through Ohio's Amish Country, the largest group of Amish in America. They are extremely insular and family oriented, living simple lives as farmers, craftsmen, and service-sector workers. We learned more at the Amish and Mennonite Heritage Center in Berlin, Ohio, where the 265ft long Behalt cyclorama mural depicted the history of the Amish and Mennonite people of the US.
What I found someone ironic is that the Amish people's love of sweets and rich food (the are Swiss and German, so i guess it holds)! They are big on their pies, candies, chocolates, not to mention cheese, sausage, and gravy over everything! we enjoyed browsing and sampling at their bakeries and at the Cheese Chalet~ Mmmm...cheese~

And now, Dr.Carley

Here's a quick video of Carley getting her hood.

Carley gets ready to be hooded.

The hooding ceremony is tomorrow. The pomp, the circumstance. It will take no few than two ceremonies for it to happen. Here is a preview:

Garden update

The garden is coming along nicely this year, especially with all of this sunshine. We have a strawberry patch on the north side of the backyard, and more strawberries, flowers, rhubarb, herbs, zucchini, and several heirloom tomato plants in the backyard garden. I've harvested about 3 pints of strawberries so far, and it will be about 2-3 pints a week for the next month at least! Strawberries are my most favorite food, so Dave is luck if he gets to them before me! (i think i ate a pint today~)



In our raised beds, I made things easy by growing lots of greens (salad mix, arugula, lettuce, spinach, kale, bok choi), radishes, fennel, and zucchini from seed along side our 4 blueberry bushes. Now that everything is set and growing, it's all about keeping things watered, weeded, and thinned out.